TWENTY years on from the cringeworthy opening ceremony of USA 94, CRAIG says Jurgen Klinsmann's side have proved they are now well worth their place among the super powers of world football.

It was 20 years ago. The opening ceremony for the 1994 World Cup in the USA.

Singer Diana Ross attempted to kick a “soccerball” through a stage-managed open goal and missed, while chat-show queen Oprah Winfrey fell off the podium.

The tournament looked as out of place as these two old ducks and cynics mocked the moments.

The cultured footballing nations told these American impostors to pick up their baseball bats, pull their gridiron helmets on or pick up the ball and throw it through a hoop. Just leave football to us.

Well, two decades on, these snipers are no longer laughing.

Watching the USA at this World Cup has been an absolute joy, summed up by their superb display against Belgium in the last 16.

And theirs could well turn out to be THE story of Brazil 2014.

Jurgen Klinsmann’s team were brilliant. Gutsy against Ghana, inspired against Portugal and
disciplined against Germany before mixing style and substance against the Belgians.

The fact they went out could not cloud a seismic sea change in not just how the USA are viewed by the rest, but how they view themselves.

Never mind here in Scotland, you wonder how they felt in England or Italy or Spain or Portugal, watching a nation they sniggered at shining.

Watching this US team show the type of passion they lacked. The watching world no longer treat the Americans with disdain.

Klinsmann is a man of footballing pedigree and, with him on board, they have really stepped up a level.

The national team is now packed with impressive individuals who have made their way in the game abroad, such as Clint Dempsey.

However, there is a new wave which shone so brightly in Brazil, ready to break Europe.

The best of the planet are heading there to end their careers, passing on knowledge and nous.

David Villa moved to New York this summer. A massive billboard in Manhattan tells you that.

Frank Lampard might be joining him. Thierry Henry is there, Kaka has signed with Orlando. These are not journeymen, they’re the cream, passing on expertise to the kids.

Like in Australia, soccer players were once viewed as outcasts. Oddballs and pretty boys who didn’t have the steel or guts to play American Football or Rugby League or Aussie Rules.

Now the Americans use terms such as “The Warrior” to describe Jermaine Jones, who scored one of the goals of the tournament against Portugal. It’s still called soccer but it means something more now.

The people love it, they embrace it and realise a sporting contest doesn’t have to end 97-94 to be exciting – and much of the reason is down to education.

This Record Sport correspondent was fortunate enough to spend the first two weeks of the tournament on holiday in the States.

Left behind was the smug face of Adrian Chiles, sitting in his shorts on a beach. Far in the distance was Robbie Savage of, erm, Leicester and Birmingham, dissecting the performances of the world’s best.

Out of earshot was Ian Wright sitting in a silly hat calling Glenn Hoddle “gaffer”. Tthat’ll be the Hoddle who described Algeria as Al Jazeera – while Gary Lineker pulled on an Italy shirt to hope for an English miracle.

Missing was Alan Shearer expertly telling us that a striker will be “disappointed he didn’t hit the target” when missing a snip.

Taking potshots at English pundits is easy but there’s a serious point to it

This is supposed to be a footballing country, yet viewers are treated with disdain. Clive Tyldesley was moaning that his hotel was 50 yards from the beach and there would be lots of noise after Brazil beat Chile.

Unless you’re listening to Gordon Strachan, forget it. It’s cliched pap. Compare that with TV in the States with their professional analysis
delivered by top class individuals.

Ecuador vs Honduras had Everton boss Roberto Martinez going over systems and tactics. World Cup winner Michael Ballack hovered at giant tactics boards while Ruud van Nistelrooy and Steve McManaman, top-level performers with no silly japes, gave the US an understanding and insight we could do with.

It’s made people feel part of it. In packed bars, they get the nuances now. When the US played, there were massive fan zones in cities. Jubilant celebrations from massed ranks on Times Square when Dempsey put the US ahead against Portugal was like a Hampden goal.

Over 20,000 were in Grant Park, Chicago. Orlando’s Wall Street Plaza was dubbed Soccer Central. The story can be told in viewing figures – the win over Ghana had the top US TV audience for a game – 16million.

The Portugal game topped it with 24.7m tuning in – a landmark, considering the NBA Final between San Antonio and Miami had 18m and baseball’s World Series 15m.

The final group game against Germany was off the scale. Employers stopped for 90 minutes. Wall Street trading was down 25 per cent as brokers took it all in. Even Barack Obama watched on Air Force One.

The nation was, by all accounts, in gridlock for the Belgium clash. In Brazil, estimates from US officials say 100,000 were there in support – three times more than any other country.

FIFA have taken note and are encouraging a USA bid for 2026.

Each chapter of the finals has been engrossing. European big guns falling, Luis Suarez’s chomping, Arjen Robben’s diving, match-fixing claims and the romance of Costa Rica.

But there’s a feeling that THE story of this World Cup is about how the US finally found football and how the rest of the globe savoured them doing so.